Hydraulic hoist attachment for tractors



Oct. 4, 1955 C. E. BECK HYDRAULIC HOIST ATTACHMENT FOR TRACTORS Filed Dec. 29, 1952 2 SQeetS-Sheet l INVENTOR. CZQrevzce-Zf flee k Bydfm Oct. 1955 c. E. BECK HYDRAULIC HoIsT ATTACHMENT FOR TRACTORS Filed Dec. 29, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IMF-.3-

IN V EN TOR. Czarerzcel'. Ee k United States Patent HYDRAULIC HOIST ATTACHMENT FOR TRACTORS Clarence E. Beck, Tipton, Ind.

Application December 29, 1952, Serial No. 328,453

1 Claim. (Cl. 280-150) This invention relates to a new and improved hydraulic hoist attachment for a tractor and has a great variety of uses, for example, tilting the body of a wagon towed by the tractor, pulling fence posts from the ground, lifting heavy crates, bales, rocks, and the like.

One object of the invention is to provide a novel construction which will support the weight of heavy loads being lifted, upon the ground, instead of upon the tractor, whereas the weight of lighter loads may be transmitted to the tractor without danger of injuring or straining any part of the latter.

A further object of the invention is to mount the load hoisting means on the rear end of a carriage which is slidable on a track, the latter being mounted longitudinally under the tractor body, said carriage being downwardly tiltable onto the ground when rearwardly projected beyond said track. Thus, while relatively light loads may be lifted with the carriage in its forward position and the tractor-carried track will then receive all of the weight, it is only necessary to rearwardly slide said carriage and allow it to tilt downwardly to prepare the hoist for lifting heavy loads and transmitting the weight thereof to the ground.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel construction for the hoisting means which permits easy detachment of the latter from the carriage, thereby allowing said hoisting means to be supported for use directly upon the ground at some distance from the tractor, should this be necessary in lifting loads which prohibit movement of the tractor suificiently close to the load for normal operation of the hoisting means.

Yet another object is to provide a novel construction for the carriage and track which may be formed to a large extent from common angle metal bars.

A still further object is to provide an attachment which will be comparatively simple and inexpensive yet will be efficient and durable.

With the above and other objects in view that will become apparent as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel form, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, shown in the accompanying drawings and particularly claimed.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the attachment shifted to its heavy-load-hoisting position and in the act of tilting the body of a tractor-towed wagon to dump a load;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the track and carriage, the latter being in its heavy-load-lifting position;

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view on line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3 but showing the carriage retracted upon the track;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary front elevation showing the lower portion of the hoisting means; and

Figure 6 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view showing the hydraulic cylinder, the piston therein, and a piston-return spring which is preferably used to effect faster piston return.

A preferred construction has been shown in the drawings and will be rather specifically described but it is to be understood that variations may be made within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed. I

A substantially horizontal track 10 is provided for disposition under the body of a tractor T with its rear end extending rearwardly beyond the axl'eA. Hanger links 11 have been shown for the track 10, said links being adapted for bolting to the tractor.

A carriage 12 is slidably mounted on the track 10 and may occupy either a rearwardly projecting position as seen in Figures 1 to 3,. or a forwardly retracted position as in Figure 4. When this carriage is in'tlie position of Figures 1 to 3, it declines rearwardly to rest at its rear end upon the ground.

A hydraulic hoist 13 is mounted on the rear end of the carriage 12 and includes a hoisting cable 14 for engagement with any load to be lifted. Fluid for operating this hoist 13 is supplied from the usual hydraulic system of the tractor through a hose 15. This hose is preferably of suflicient length to allow the hoist 13 to be detached from the carriage 12 and moved rearwardly or laterallyfrom the tractor when any load can be more advantageously lifted by so doing. When detached from the carriage 12 and moved to another position, the hoist simply rests on the ground, or upon a block or the like if the ground be soft.

. The track 10 and carriage 12 are preferably constructed as shown in Figures 2 to 4. The track 10 comprises parallel. longitudinal side bars 16, and front and rear transverse bars 17' and 18 extending between and welded to said side bars. Each side bar 16 is provided at its lower edge with a lateral outwardly projecting flange 19 which extends from end to end thereof.

The carriage 12 comprises two parallel longitudinal side bars 20, and front and rear transverse bars 21 and 22 welded to said side bars. Each of the side bars 20 is provided at its upper edge with a lateral inwardly projecting flange 23 which extends from end to end thereof. The side bars 20 of the carriage 12 are disposed at the outer sides of the track side bars 16, and the flanges 23 rest slidably upon the flanges 19. The front end bar 21 of the carriage extends between the lower edges of the side bars 20, under the track side bars 16, and said bar 21 is spaced downwardly from the flanges 23 a distance considerably greater than the thickness of the flanges 19. This allows the carriage 23 to downwardly tilt onto the ground when said carriage is rearwardly projected, as seen in Figures 1 and 3. The rear end bar 22 of the carriage is preferably a channel bar welded upon the flanges 23 of the side bars 20.

The hoist 13 includes a vertical cylinder 24 having two laterally spaced supporting legs 25, said legs having arched feet 26 which straddle the ends of the carriage end bar 22 and are detachably bolted thereto as seen at 27 in Figure 1. The legs 25 converge at their upper end portions and are welded to a collar 28 which surrounds the cylinder 24. The legs 25 are also connected by a transverse rod 29 welded thereto below the collar 28 and abutting the lower extremity of the cylinder. Gusset plates 30 are provided over the rod 29, and other gusset plates 31 are provided under said rod 29, said plates being welded to this rod 29 and to the legs 25. This provides a simple and rigid structure for connecting the legs 25 with the cylinder 24.

Within the cylinder 24 there is a piston 32 (Figure 6) from which a piston rod 33 extends through a guide 34 in the upper end of the cylinder 24. The upper end of this rod 33 carries a sheave 35 over which the hoisting cable 14 is trained. One end of this cable is anchored 3 at 36 to a lug on the collar 28 and the other end of said cable has a hook 37 for connecting it with any load to be lifted. In Figure 1,'this hook is shown as hooked onto a chain C temporarily engaged with the body B of -a wagon W towed by the tractor T, for tilting said body to dumping position. The wagon tongue W extends between the cylinder supporting legs 25 to the tractor hitch H and is not interfered with by said legs. Also, it may here be stated that the drive shaft of any machine to be driven by the rear power take-off P of the tractor, may extend between the legs 25 without interference. When this is done, however, the carriage 12 of course occupied its forward position and the hoist 13 is therefore close in to the tractor.

To hasten descent of the piston rod 33, a spring 38 is preferably provided in the cylinder 24, as clearly shown in Figure 6.

Suitable braces for the cylinder 24 are shown at 39. When the cylinder is to be detached, these braces are of course disconnected.

When the tractor is being driven from place to place, the carriage 12 occupies its forward position (Figure 4) and the hoist 13 is then close to the tractor. For lifting relatively light loads, the hoist may remain in this position. However, when a heavy load is to be lifted, the carriage 12 is slid rearwardly and allowed to rest at its rear end upon the ground as seen in Figures 1 and 3, thus relieving the track and the tractor from a great deal of strain.

Whenever a load can be more conveniently lifted by placing the hoist an unusual distance behind the tractor or to the right or left, this may be done by disconnecting the feet 26 and braces 39 and placing said feet upon the ground or some temporary support at the required location. The hose 15 of course remains connected with the cylinder 24 and with the hydraulic system of the tractor.

From the above detailed description of the invention,

it is believed that the construction, use and operation thereof will at once be apparent, and while there is herein shown and described the preferred embodiment of the invention, it is nevertheless to be understood that minor changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is:

Tractor attachable supporting means for a hoist having a pair of downwardly flanged feet, comprising a track including a pair of laterally spaced parallel angle bars adapted for support beneath the tractor by hanger links and with the bars disposed normally horizontally, said bars each including a vertical flange and a horizontal flange extending outwardly from the lower edge thereof, a carriage including a pair of laterally spaced parallel angle bars including horizontal flanges slidably supported on the horizontal flanges of the track and vertical flanges depending therefrom at the outer edges of the track horizontal flanges, said last bars being connected at their inner ends by a cross bar disposed beneath said track bars and normally in vertically spaced relation to the lower faces of said track bars to permit tilting of the carriage with its forward end engaged with the ground and the said cross bar engaged with the lower faces of the track bars, and a second cross bar interconnecting the outer ends of said carriage bars of rectangular cross section for supporting said hoist flanged feet.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,368,619 Fleury Feb. 15, 1921 1,887,924 Evans Nov, 15, 1932 2,493,150 Kroger Jan. 3, 1950 2,605,998 Beck Aug. 5, 1952 2,646,957 Lovik July 28, 1953 

